


Elements of Change

by infinity_paradise_happiness_stuff



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Only slightly underage, Slow Burn, Underage - Freeform, like she's seventeen, lots of characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-11 20:05:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4450424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinity_paradise_happiness_stuff/pseuds/infinity_paradise_happiness_stuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I've never been one to fear many things. I don't scream when I see a spider, I'm not afraid to watch scary movies. Most of the time I'm too busy pointing out the continuity errors and laughing at the impossible scenarios the writers come up with. To be honest, there's really only one thing that scares me; change.<br/>Right now I'm wishing that this was just one of those stupid scary movies. At the end of the scene we'd cut, and everyone would go home. Unfortunately, I'm not that lucky. I have never been that lucky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey whoever's reading this! I just wanna say thanks for taking some time to check this out. This is my first fanfic I've published, but not the first I've written. Feedback is welcome, I would love to hear what you think. Also, this is a VERY slow burning fic in regards to the romance. There will be a lot of character development and relationship development before anything smutty happens ;) Thanks, and enjoy!

There was nothing special about that day, it was as boring as any high school in a tiny town could be. My best friend Olivia and I were in the rec room, where we always ate lunch. There were only a few other students there, all keeping to themselves, reading a book or having quiet conversations.  
Now, despite being an insignificant high school in the middle of nowhere, we had a lot of nice stuff. Too many country club golfers with very deep pockets leads to major funding for the school. Not only did we have the latest tablets and interactive boards for our classrooms, but we also had several entertainment systems. The rec room is sorta like an arcade. Foosball, ping pong, air hockey, you name it. We also had game consoles, my favorite being the wii. Olivia and I would play tennis on the wii almost every day at lunch.  
"Ooofh," I huffed as I slammed my arm down, hitting the virtual tennis ball hard. It bounced over the net and into the opposite square of the court that Olivia was in.  
"Shhheeeeiiit!" Olivia screeched as she nearly fell over, barely saving the ball. I volleyed it easily, Olivia still disoriented from her near fall, missing the ball.  
"OHHHHHHHHH! YOU JUST GOT SERVED!" I shouted triumphantly, jumping up and down doing a little happy dance. Olivia glared at me through her bangs, hands on her knees.  
"Only because you play dirty," she grumbled, grabbing her Gatorade from the nearby table and taking a swig.  
"Hey, don't hate the player, just hate the game," I said defensively as I plopped down on the couch opposite the TV.  
"You know Amber, if you love beating me so much you should join me on the courts some day," Olivia said, sitting down next to me.  
"Nope, I'm perfectly content with kicking your butt on virtual tennis," I replied, grabbing her Gatorade and taking a sip.  
"You probably wouldn't be able to hold a real racket anyways," Olivia sighed.  
"Is that a challenge?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I knew she was just trying to get me out on the court, but I couldn't help feeling competitive.  
"If you're up to it," She shrugged noncommittally. I could see right through her psuedocalm, knowing she was dying for me to get outside.  
"I'll tell you what, you beat me at this next game on the wii and I'll let you work me until I can't stand anymore," I said, standing up and grabbing my remote.  
"That's all it'll take to get you to go outside?" Olivia teased, taking her spot next to me in front of the TV. Before I could make a snarky response back a loud bang sounded from somewhere outside of the room. Everyone in the room looked up as someone pushed the doors to the room open. Screams could be heard as the guy closed the doors behind him, locking them.  
"Oh my God, Oh my God," the kid was mumbling in a shaky voice. I recognized him from my fourth period math class, his name was Jimmy, I think? "Help me block the doors!" He yelled, frantically running over to the nearest table and starting to pull it.  
"What the hell's going on out there?" A guy wearing a varsity jacket asked, standing from his spot at a table, his girlfriend clinging to his side.  
"Some guy's shooting up the school," The kid said, straining to move the table in front of the doors.  
"Oh, shit," The jock guy said, looking over at all of our frozen figures, " C'mon, everyone help barricade the door!" He said, running over to the kids side. We all jumped into action without a word. I pushed the table next to Olivia and I over with the help of two other kids I didn't know the names of. By the time we had the second table against the door there were footsteps outside the door.  
"Everyone scatter!" The jock whispered, hurrying over to his girlfriend. Olivia retreated to the computer desk across from the one I was under, which was against the wall that the doors were in. I huddled under the table, staring at Olivia as she stared back at me. Our eyes were both wide with fear as we heard the footsteps stop right outside the doors. I glanced around the rec room to see everyone's hiding places. At this angle I could see the jock on the other side of the bookshelves. He held his hand over his girlfriend's mouth, trying to keep her quiet. One of the girls that had helped Olivia and I move the table sat against the couch facing the opposite way, tears running down her face as she clutched a golden cross around her neck that I hadn't noticed earlier. A boy by the TV stand held his phone close to him, tapping furiously at the screen. I was sure someone had already alerted the authorities, seeing as how many kids in the high school and cellphones there were, but it couldn't hurt. We all held our breath as we heard the door wiggle as the shooter pushed on it. Moments went by in silence, and for a second I thought maybe that the shooter had moved on. Then came the banging.  
The jock's girlfriend flinched, her cry muffled by his hand but still audible. I held Olivia's frightened stare as the shooter rammed into the doors. We could do nothing but wait. For a second I thought about making a run for the windows and jumping out of them, but we were on the third floor. You would be lucky to just break your legs falling from a distance that high.  
It felt like years had passed instead of seconds until the doors slammed open. Until that point time had seemed to slow down dramatically, but then it started to move too quickly. I stared at Olivia in fright as heavy footsteps entered the room. A pair of black boots and black trousers entered my line of vision as the attacker entered the rec room. He stopped in front of the place where Olivia was hiding and she broke eye contact with me to look up at the figure in front of her. The utter terror in her eyes triggered something in me and I did something very stupid; I leapt from my hiding spot onto the shooter's back.  
"RUN!" I screamed, clinging to the man that was desperately trying to shake me off. I held on for dear life as I heard several people running from the room.  
Suddenly I lost my grip and was thrown to the floor, hitting my head hard on the tiled floor. Blood immediately began to pour from my scalp, wetting my hair. I opened my eyes, my vision blurry as I rolled over. What I saw made my heart stop.  
Olivia stood in between the shooter and me, her hands out in front of her defensively. The man was at least a foot taller than her, a dark five'o clock shadow covering his face.  
"You don't have to do this," she said in a very calm voice, trying to placate the attacker. The man simply just stared at her with a cold, vacant expression.  
"Yes, I do," the attacker replied, his voice hard and monotone, making me shiver.  
""You don't have to hurt anyone, It's your choice whether or not you are going to hurt anyone," Olivia said, earnest shining in her voice.  
"My decision's already been made," He said, and without any hesitation he pulled the trigger of the gun he was pointing at her.  
I didn't even hear myself scream as Olivia fell to the floor. It felt like the world had stopped spinning, and I was forced to watch it all in slow motion.  
I scrambled over to Olivia, not caring that there was still a man in the room that would most likely shoot me too any second. Blood poured out of the bullet wound that went straight into her heart.  
"No, Liv, no" I whimpered, holding my dying friend in my lap. Tears mixed with blood dripped down my face, a diluted orange drop falling on Olivia's forehead. She tried to move and then began to cough up blood. "D-don't move Liv," I said through my tears as I watched her struggle in my arms. She turned her head slightly and I saw her look at me through watery eyes. I felt a bloody hand grip the one I was currently pressing over the bleeding wound, trying to slow it down. Olivia made an attempt to speak, coughing up more blood. "Shhh, it's okay," I cooed, petting her hair with my other hand, "it's okay," I repeated mindlessly. Olivia blinked twice, and then closed her eyes. Her grip on my hand went limp. I felt my whole body shake with the sob that tore through my chest.  
I'm not sure how long I sat there holding my friend's dead body before I realized that there was still the shooter in the room. I looked up to see the man staring down at me with cold, beady eyes.  
Suddenly my grief was replaced with rage. I got up, feeling very hot and flushed. Before I could process what was happening, my body felt like it was on fire. My vision went red and all I could feel was excruciating heat. Then everything went black, and I could feel nothing.


	2. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! I'm on a roll today. Here we meet Bruce, and him and Amber start to develop a relationship. :) Disclaimer: Everything but my OFC, Amber, belongs to Marvel.

Like I already said, I don't like change. So when I woke up in a room I had never seen before I freaked out.   
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a vent on the roof of the room I was in. I scrunched my face up in confusion. Where was I? I tried to sit up but fell back against the cot I was lying on immediately, my head throbbing intensely. After the throbbing began to fade I tried sitting up again, and was successful. I took in my surroundings. The walls were dark, looking like metal. A hexagon pattern covered the dark walls, reminding me of a honey comb. Across from where I sat a mirror covered the entire wall. I stood slowly, every muscle in my body aching in protest. I could feel my heart beat faster as I walked closer to the mirror.  
My long brown hair was a mess around my face. I looked very pale, and had several bandages on my face. I touched one of them and hissed when it hurt. I was wearing a blue hospital gown, no shoes. I was startled when a voice sounded from somewhere in the room.   
"Ms. Banks, I don't want you to be alarmed. I'm Doctor Bruce Banner, I'm here to help you," The male voice said.  
"Where am I?" I asked looking around the room for the source of the voice. It must have been coming from a speaker somewhere.   
"You're in a shield facility in upstate New York," The man, Bruce, told me.  
"Wh-why 'm I here?" I stuttered. I could feel the panic setting in, my face heating up.   
"Amber, I need you to take a deep breath. Calm yourself," The voice said very quietly. I blinked twice, confused by the request. Why wouldn't he tell me why I was here? I began to look around the room frantically, searching for any way to escape. It was too hot, I had to get out before I would suffocate.   
"I-I need to get out of here," I said, feeling the walls for a hidden door or something. It was getting increasingly warmer and I was really starting to freak out.   
"You need to calm down, Amber," Bruce said. I kept on searching the room for a way out until I met the mirror again. What I saw there I couldn't believe.   
Red flames were running along the length of my arms. I looked down at my hands, watching as the flames traveled down, engulfing them.   
"What- what's happening to me!" I screamed, my body becoming covered in flames.  
"Amber, you need to take control of your emotions-" Bruce began to speak, but I couldn't hear it anymore. My vision went red and I was engulfed in the heat.   
I fell when I was suddenly struck with a cold sensation. I opened my eyes to see the cold was from the water that was currently pouring down on me. I layed on the floor, reveling in the bliss of the absence of the heat. My vision began to blur and I suddenly felt very sleepy. The last thing I saw was a part of the wall moving and someone coming towards me. 

 

*******

The next time I woke it all came crashing back to me. The shooter at the school. Olivia getting shot, dying. I opened my eyes and lay still, back on the bed. As the reality of what had happened set in, tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Before I could let them fall, Bruce was talking to me.   
"Amber, are you alright?" he asked quietly. I moved to sit up, running my hands through my hair a few times. I breathed out slowly, trying to get my emotions under control. "You need to keep yourself calm," Bruce said after a moment of silence  
"I know," I said shakily, nodding my head. I stared at my bare feet against the cold floor.   
"Do you know where you are?" He asked.  
"You said I was in upstate New York, in a, uh, shield facility?" I answered, my reply half a question. I had no idea what shield was.   
"That's correct. Do you know why you're here?" Bruce asked. I thought back to when I first woke up, clearly remembering that I had been on fire.   
"Because I was on fire?" I asked. There was a slight laugh over the intercom.  
"Amber, do you remember what happened before you got here?" He asked. Snippets of Olivia dead in my arms raced through my head, and I felt my lip quiver.  
"T-there was a shooter at the school," I started, feeling the tears coming, "he killed my best friend," I said. Acknowledging out loud that she was gone made it all the more painful.  
"Okay, that's good Amber, take a deep breath, calm down," Bruce told me, and I did so. "Do you know what you did?" He asked after I calmed down a bit. I thought hard back to what happened right after Olivia died. I remembered standing up, my vision going red, and then passing out.  
"I, I don't know," I said, a pit in my stomach developing. There was a pause before Bruce spoke again.  
"I'm going to tell you Amber, but you have to promise me that you'll stay calm," He said very seriously.   
"Okay," I said. I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, staring at it.  
"In a state of grief your body gave off a wave of fire,"Bruce said. I focused on the sleeve of my gown, taking slow breaths. "You didn't know you could do this, did you?"   
"No," I answered. "Did I hurt anyone?" I asked, my voice hard in dread of the answer.  
"The fire killed the attacker. A few students were injured escaping the burning building, but other than that, no," Bruce said.  
"I burnt the school down?" I asked in disbelief. There was no reply so I took a deep breath, "I'm okay, " I told him.  
"Only partially. Mainly the recreation room and the classrooms around it," I laughed a short, humorless laugh. I guess no one was going to school for awhile.   
"What's gonna happen to me?" I asked, realizing that they weren't just going to let me walk out of here.   
"I'm going to assess your mental state and ability to control your power," Bruce replied.  
"And if I don't pass?" I asked.  
"We're here to help you, Amber. You won't be stuck in there forever," he assured me.   
"How would you know? You're not the freak that catches on fire," I said. I couldn't help being bitter. He wasn't the one trapped in this box.   
"No, I'm not," Bruce said, "But I am the freak that turns green and punches holes through walls," he finished. It took me a second to connect the dots.   
"You're the Hulk?" I asked in surprise.   
"Unfortunately," Bruce answered. I scoffed at his unenthusiastic reply.  
"Unfortunately? You're a hero! You've saved the world like a ton of times!" I said excitedly. There was a chuckle over the intercom.  
"If you believe that, then I'm sure you'll get out of there," he said.  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"I was once in the same place as you are," Bruce answered. I nodded. It made sense for shield, whoever they were, to lock people like us up while they were figuring out how to handle us.   
"Hey, what's Shield?" I asked, reminded of the question.  
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," He answered. I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion.  
"The what?" I asked. All I heard In reply was a great deal of laughing. 

*******

"So basically Shield doesn't exist anymore," I said sitting cross-legged on the floor.  
"Not officially, No. But people like us, the Avengers, we consider ourselves shield," Bruce answered. My head was still spinning from the overload of information. "And technically, this facility is called the Avenger's facility, not Shield," Bruce added.   
"Wait, so are the other Avengers around?" I asked, excitement bubbling in my stomach.   
"Half the team's out on a mission right now, but we're not left shorthanded," Bruce replied.   
"Do I get to meet everyone someday?" I asked hopefully.   
"As soon as we get you cleared by medical," he replied. I yawned, suddenly very tired. "You're tired. You should get some rest," Bruce told me.  
"I'm also hungry," I said, my stomach grumbling as if to second that.  
"Oh, right. At the foot of your bed there's a trunk. There should be some food in there," I went over to the trunk and sure enough there was food in there. I picked up the MRE package, making a weird face.  
"I know, there not the best. I'll bring you breakfast in the morning, Okay?" Bruce said.  
"Are you sure you're not afraid that I'll light you on fire?" I asked teasingly.   
"Are you sure you're not afraid that I'll Hulk out?" Bruce asked back.  
"Touche," I replied, sitting down on my bed with the MRE.  
"Goodnight Amber," Bruce said.  
"Night Bruce- er, um Dr. Banner," I corrected myself.  
"You can call me Bruce, " he said with a chuckle.  
"Okay, goodnight Bruce," I said again, tearing into the MRE. I heard the click of a button and the room was silent. I sat on my bed, eating the tasteless MRE. My mind was surprisingly quiet. Probably because I was so tired. I didn't mind though. It was better than being plagued by the terrors of the days previous. Tomorrow I would actually get some edible food and have real contact with another person. I just hoped I wouldn't catch on fire again.


End file.
